Term 3

Mood Board Example

Each homework assignment will need a mood board that you should create before your photo shoot. The mood board will be your inspiration and planning for the assignment. You can make the mood board on Pinterest, a Google Doc/Slide, Evernote, Note app, or any other way (printed photos in notebook!) you would like. Things to include on a mood board might include: color schemes, model types (male/female), posing examples, locations, lighting, editing, compositions, etc.

Motion Pt. 1 - Athletic Clothing/Equipment Company

What is due? ​20 photos and a mood board.Objective: Learn to control the shutter speed to get different results when focusing on motion.

Project BriefAn athletic clothing and equipment company has hired you to photograph their products. The focus of this advertising campaign is freezing motion that highlights the ways their products (clothing and/or equipment) are used. Also consider creative use of motion to highlight the product meaning the product doesn't always have to be the thing in motion. The intended audience for the campaign are high school teenagers of all fitness levels and abilities.

Use shutter priority mode (TV or S) for this assignment. ISO should be set to auto for the fast shutter speed photos.

All 20 photos need to freeze motion by using a fast shutter speed. They also need to be in focus and have a variety of compositions/looks.

Motion Pt. 2 - Technology in Motion

What is due? ​20 photos and a mood board.Objective: Learn to control the shutter speed to get different results when focusing on motion.

Project Brief​You have been hired by a tech company to photograph their products in use (lifestyle photography) or as a hero shot and to provide abstract images that they can use as backgrounds for their marketing materials. The focus of this advertising campaign is to show the fast pace that tech advances and to provide unique, eye-catching images. The company requires 10 photos that showcase their products, and 10 different abstract photos that they can use in their marketing materials. The intended audience is for 30 year olds that are interested in buying and using technology.

Use shutter priority mode (TV or S) for this assignment. ISO on the slow shutter speed photos might need to be changed to a low or mid-range number.

All 20 photos should blur motion by using a slow shutter speed and having some kind of motion in the scene (or camera movement). You will probably need a tripod or place the camera on a solid surface for the slow shutter speed photos. The photos need to vary with subject matter or composition. Depending on your photo, things that aren't moving need to be in focus.​A more in-depth explanation on capturing motion can be found here.

Aperture - Outdoor Lifestyle

Example of shallow depth of field.

Example of wide depth of field.

What is due? 30 photos and a mood board.Objective: Learn to control the aperture to get different depths of field and control what is in focus.

Project Brief​You have been hired by an outdoors company to produce content for their social media. They would like photos that will inspire viewers to get outside, explore, invoke a sense of wonder, have adventures, and/or use their products. So that means that the photos can have a person in it, a product, or nothing if it inspire someone to get outside. The audience is for people that want to get outdoors and have adventures.

Control the depth of field by controlling the aperture. Aperture is measured in f/stops. Use aperture priority mode (A or AV on the mode dial) and set ISO to auto. 15 of the photos need to use a shallow depth of field and 15 photos need to have a wide depth of field. To achieve a shallow depth of field, use a small f/stop number and have the subject close to the camera and the background far away. To achieve a wide depth of field, use a larger f/stop number (around f/9 to f/11) and have the subject further away from the camera.

Feel free to Google depth of field in photography to learn more!

Identity

What is due? 9 photos.Objectives: Learn how to use the self-timer mode and manual focus. Also learn how to express an idea or tell a story through photos.

For this assignment, you need to take 9 photographs that communicate who you think you are or what you think makes you you. 4 of the photos need to have you in it. The other 5 photos can show objects, people, or places that define you or influence your identity.

You will use the self-timer mode and probably a tripod for the 4 self-portraits. Use an object as a stand in to help you focus the camera on the spot you will be. Make sure the switch on the lens is set to auto focus (AF). Place the object where you will be, push the shutter button down half way down to focus on the object. After the focus locks on the object, release the shutter button and carefully switch the focus switch to manual (MF). Remove the object on which you focused. Change the drive mode to self-timer to give yourself time to get into place and pose. Take a properly exposed photo.

Pay attention to light and the mood it can create. Does the light give the mood for your identity? Be creative; get outside your comfort zone. You can find something reflective, but I do not want to see a disgusting bathroom.

You must use a DSLR and must use manual mode. Make sure the subject of your photos is in focus.

Term 2

Double Exposure

Photo by Florian Imgrund.

Photo by Sara Byrne.

What is due? 4 double exposures (8 photos total).Objectives: Learn to expose for effect. This will help students learn to expose a photo differently than the light meter suggests. Also, this project helps with pre-visualizing because an interesting double exposure needs to be thought out and planned.

Take the photos for four double exposures (8 photos total). For each double exposure, you need one photo of a subject and one photo of a scene, texture, something (be creative!) to create on the first photo. The photo with the subject needs to have an overexposed background if you want the second photo to only show up in the silhouette of the first photo. We will use Lightroom to adjust exposures first, then send the photos to Photoshop to put them together so the second photo only appears in the dark areas of the photo with the subject.

Visualize and plan what you want to create. How do you want the two photos to overlap? What do you want the subjects to be? How can you juxtapose two different things to create a more interesting double exposure?

1st image: Shoot your subject (person) with the sun or a bright sky behind them. Expose properly for the subject so the background is overexposed.

2nd image: Shoot a well-lit textured backdrop, landscape, flowers, grass, etc. This photo fills in the dark areas of the first image.

The place where both images will show up the best is where dark from photo 1 overlaps dark from photo 2.

Edit the exposure (if needed) in Lightroom.

In Lightroom, select the two photos you want to use then click Photo > Edit In > Open as Layers in Photoshop.

The photo that is the bottom layer will be the outlining shape.

Change the top layer's blending mode to Screen.

To rotate the top layer, press command t on the keyboard to start the transformation.

Edit using adjustment layers in Photoshop or in Lightroom (black and white? contrast? brightness? color overlay?)

Click File > Save to send it back into Lightroom.

Conceptual Photo Plan

What is due? 10 different ideas sketched that show an idea, story, or emotion.Objective: Learn to brainstorm and plan photo shoots that are focused on a concept. Use that brain of yours! If you want an interesting photo, you'll have to think of interesting things!Each idea needs:·Emotion, idea, or story written out·Sketch (stick figures are great!)·Location and time of day·Model(s) (friend, parent, or you?)·Props·Equipment

Due next class period.

Conceptual Photos

by David Talley

What is due? 2 photos. Each needs to be focused on a different idea, story, or emotion and be based on your plan.Objective: Learn to execute a planned photo shoot and practice taking photos that are based on a concept. This will also help you use the principle of harmony.

These two photos should be original (don't plagiarize a photo from the internet!) and follow the principle of harmony, which means all the details of the photos are thought out. Remember the principles of composition! Use the principles that will help make your photo the most interesting and keep the viewer engaged with the photo. Follow your plan and create something awesome!

Senior Photos - Natural Light Portraits

What is due? 20 photos of a person in natural light.Objective: Learn how to pose people and use natural light for portraits.

You have been hired to take some senior portraits of another high school student. Your job is to take 20 different photos because a client wouldn't want to see 20 photos that look the same (i.e. same pose, same type of shot, same clothing, same pose, same location, etc.). Make sure you switch up all the photos by shooting full body, 3/4 body, headshot, vertical, horizontal, changing poses, changing location, changing outfits, etc.

Natural light is beautiful! There are different qualities about it that you can use to your advantage with portraits. Direct light (in the sun!) is harsh and can be used for an edgy, high contrast look. Indirect light (shade or overcast) is soft and gives a more even look and feel to portraits. What time of day should you take portraits? In reality, you can use any time! Just use your surroundings to work with the light you have. The golden hour is the hour before the sun sets and the hour after the sun rises, which is a great time for portraits because the direction of light is great, color is warm, and light is a little softer.

Feel free to use the things we learned in class or to use Google or Pinterest to seek our posing inspiration for high school seniors. Try new things. Experiment. Make mistakes and learn.

Your Choice

What is due? At least 5 photos.Objective: Let the student learn about and try a type of photography in which he or she is interested.

You get to pick your homework! Perhaps you have wanted to do landscape photos, more studio photos, macro photos, or something else that we haven't covered in class. Now you can choose what to do! Learn how to do it from either talking to Mr. Lewis, reading tutorials, or watching YouTube videos and then go do it. You will need to turn in at least 5 awesome photos, but you may turn in more than 5, if you want.